St. Robert's Catholic Church

1380 Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno, CA 94066

Tel: (650) 589-2800

PARISH BULLETIN
August 12, 2007
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus has many titles: Son of God, Lord, Rabbi, and Son of Man. The Son of Man refers to Jesus when he will come at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. For some the second coming of Jesus will be a joyful time. For others it will be the worse of times. How we live as Christians while Jesus is gone is critical.

During my freshman year in college, my parents went on a road trip for two months. They put me in charge of their home. I had strict orders to keep their house in good shape. The lawns had to be mowed, the house dusted and vacuumed, and the bathrooms cleaned. My parents never told me that I couldn’t have any parties though. I knew better not to have any wild parties while my parents were away. That would have been a very risky business.

Being home alone, I felt like the king of the world. I could come and go as I pleased. I could put off cleaning the house for awhile. I didn’t have to answer to anyone. Having to clean the house every week got a little tiresome considering that I was a full time student and working thirty hours a week at a department store. Rather than mopping the kitchen floor once a week, I decided to put down a bed sheet to cover it. I thought that this was a brilliant idea. It was much easier to throw a bed sheet in the washing machine than to get on my hands and knees to clean the kitchen floor.

For some reason, I got a gut feeling that my parents were coming home a day early. That morning I threw the bed sheet in the hamper. Thank goodness that I did. My parents did arrive home a day early. They were very pleased that their home was sparkling clean. It was a good thing that I was well prepared for their imminent arrival. If things were a mess and if my dear mother would have seen her bed sheet lying on her kitchen floor, I would have been in the dog house forever. Even though I was no longer the king of the house, I was glad to see my parents.

When the cat is away the mouse will play. That seems to be our human proclivity. Jesus urges us to not give into our human inclinations. We are challenged to be vigilant each and every day of our lives, for we do not know when the Son of Man will come. There is a joy and a peace that we experience when we live each day with faith. Faith instills in us the realization that life is short. Each day is to be cherished and celebrated therefore. Faith empowers us to live our life for the Lord, not for ourselves. When we live our life for the good Lord, we are always prepared and ready for his pleasantly unexpected arrival.

Fr. Paul O’Dell

As a Parish Community we pray …For those we love who carry the cross of cancer, aids, chemical addiction, pain and all other illnesses and for those who take care of them.

WE CONGRATULATE THE NEWLY MARRIED

Francine Long & Kenneth Soto

Our sincere sympathy to the families of
those who died recently
George Cardoza,
David Papageorgiou &
Nancy Curtis

SEPARATED AND DIVORCED CATHOLICS

The Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco will be having their annual picnic at San Bruno City Park (Site 9) on Saturday, August 18th, from noon until 5pm. Cost is $5.00 per person or $10.00 per family. Bring a picnic dish for six to share. To RSVP or for more information, call Vonnie at 650-873-4236 or Gail at 650-591-8452.

LITURGY FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH THE ARCHBISHOP

Welcoming all young adults in their 20’s and 30’s to liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Assumption with Most Rev. George Niederauer, Archbishop of San Francisco, on Thursday, August 16th, at 7 pm. A reception will follow in the lower level conference of the Cathedral—1111 Gough Street at Geary Blvd. For more information and to let us know you’re coming: www.sfyam.org, 415-614-5596, jansenm@sfarchdiocese.org.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL NEWS

A big THANK YOU to: Don & Jean Bisagno, Sandy Mangold, Pat Davani, Candie Whooley, Sue McGuirk, Marie & Carlo Noce, Pat Daansen, Nancy McMahon, Diane Interdonato, Dolores Moynihan, Maria Cansoria, Trudy McKenna and Carmen Huddleston for chaperoning students at the Mervyn’s “Back to School Shopping Spree” on Saturday, July 28th.

Come and enjoy BBQ hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings.
Join in the fun, jumper for the kids.
Tickets will be sold after the Masses on August 11-12 and 18-19.
All are welcome.

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Mass times are:6:30 am, 8:30 am & 6:00 pm.

     
Today’s gospel begins with a promise and ends with a challenge. “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” And “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” In between, it sounds like Advent: be prepared, we don’t know when the Lord will come for any of us; and we are responsible inasmuch as we know what the Master (the Lord) wants of us. We’ve been promised the kingdom if only we open ourselves to the Spirit’s urgings and do our best to follow through with what we know is right.

But there are so many distractions in today’s society. As Sandy Irving of the North Carolina Council of Churches comments, “Once I buy a new computer (which I find extremely useful), I begin to wonder if I need a Blackberry, a new desk or a new monitor…There is no end in sight!” It is truly a challenge, as we heard last week, to use our material possessions wisely. As Jude Siciliano, OP noted in his weekly First Impressions, we Americans spend $33 billion in weight loss products and services each year and $12 billion on video rentals. For an additional $13 billion each year, basic nutrition and health care needs could be met around the world.

Rather than being overwhelmed by the inequalities of life, let us choose one action to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. We could turn off the television and take a walk in God’s creation, call someone living with cancer, or write a letter to the editor about something which matters to us. We could sort through clothes and toys and pass them on to a family or agency which needs them. We could practice the discipline of only shopping for what we need and deliberately pass up the bargain “too good to resist.” Peace, S. Sheral

SCRIP

Now through September 4th—Register your Safeway Cards at www.escrip.com and St. Robert’s will get 10% of your purchase price. If you are not registered, send your Safeway receipts to St. Robert’s school or church when shopping between 9/10—10/6! Thank you for your continued support.

St. Robert's Church
1380 Crystal Springs Road
San Bruno, CA 94066-4794
Phone: 650.589-2800 Fax: 650.589.9628

Become a Festival Sponsor at this year's "Journey Through the Years" Festival on September 21-23, 2007. Promote your business and any new product or service by becoming a Game Booth and Lounge Sponsor. Here are your options:

1) Game Booth or Lounge Sponsorship:

a) Platinum $325 - Tax deductible gift, your business name displayed within our Lounge and Game Booths on a 2 x 6 sign provided by St. Robert's Church

b) Gold $200 - Tax deductible gift, your business name will be displayed in our Lounge and Game Booths

c) Silver $100 - Tax deductible gift, your business name will be displayed in our game booths

2) Donate Merchandise or Service

a) Item will be used as a raffle or door prize throughout our Festival Weekend. Your business name will be displayed at our Fri. Night Ice Cream Social, Sat. Night Dinner and at the Raffle Sale Ticket Booth

3) Make a Monetary Donation - All donations are tax deductible

Complete the bottom portion and return to the Rectory A.S.A.P.

Yes, I/we want to help!!!! Here is my/our donation of:

___$100      ___$200     __$325        _____Other $___      ___Product/Service
       Silver            Gold          Platinum

Name:_________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________

___My check is enclosed (please make checks payable to St. Robert's Church)

___My employer will match my gift (please enclose your employers matching gift form)

Employer:____________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________

Your business name and key contact information will be displayed and announced throughout the festival weekend.

Gifts are tax deductible!!
Your donation is greatly appreciated - Tax ID# 94-1437729

SUNDAY COLLECTION

Thank you for your generous donation of $2,651.03
to our School, CCD and Confirmation programs.

    
SIGN UP FOR E-CONTRIBUTIONS

Go to www.saintroberts.org and click on the e-contributions button. The first page explains the details. There is a button to take you to the e-paluch registration page. You can register online using either your checking account or credit card.

There is no cost to you for this service.

2007 CENTERPLATE SIGN UP

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Mass

Sunday, 7:30 a.m. Mass

Sunday, 5:00 p.m. Mass